So we checked out their food court, and after seeing a slew of chicken joints (literally three next to each other) that almost made me lose my appetite, we decided on Taco Bell.
Crowded Dining Hall (the old lady in the front was crocheting the whole time we were eating...wonder if she ever got hungry)
Normally, Taco Bell isn't too famous for its food quality or taste. I wanted to prove that at least partially wrong for once and for all.
Hubby ordered for me their newest health menu - the Cantina bowl with steak. I actually wanted one of their crunchy quesadillas (the ones with the nachos inside), but I trust his judgement. He got a crunchy taco combo.
The Cantina Bowl
A bit of history on these cantina bowls - these are part of Taco Bell's new health conscious menu, made by chef Lorena Garcia. This gourmet bowl consists of quality ingredients, including black beans, cilantro rice, citrus & herb marinated chicken, new guacamole, fire-roasted corn salsa, creamy cilantro dressing, pico de gallo and romaine lettuce. Sound incredible, right?
Trust me, it tastes even better.
At first glance, it's a feast for the eyes - festive colors in reds, greens and yellows. It looks and tastes like a fiesta!
Digging into the bowl, you'll find the rice and black beans. Mix it up with the fresh greens and guacamole sauce, you'll get an incredible combination of crunchy/soft tender/crunchiness. The meat too was marinated and seasoned with just the right amount of sweet/salt balance, and it's grilled so it's not as greasy as Chinese takeout meat. I also loved the fire-roasted sweet corn and the bed of cilantro rice. Only thing was that the guacamole sauce was a bit runny.
Hubby got the crunchy taco with the layer of Dorito chips inside the soft pita. I'm sure it's pretty good as well.
We also got their new strawberry-mango smoothie with (real) strawberries on top. It tasted more like mango sauce + pop. Hubby enjoyed it a lot more than I did because of the mango flavor. I just liked the floating strawberries on top.
No doubt I finished my share, down to the last rice.
Hubby too finished all 3 of his tacos. I was amazed at his appetite!
Driving back home, we saw a Dora the Explorer exploring the streets of Queens.
And then headed towards MacDonald's.
And then handing out fliers. (I'm not stalking it or anything, it's just strange to have a bobble head walking down the street in 30C weather, that's all!)
Later we went to Aldi, the super-cheap grocery store. We spent $21 on a cartload of groceries, and hubby felt bad because we paid so little for it.
Would you ever buy this?
We bought this - crunchy creamy vanilla popsicle - 12 for $1.99! It's like stealing!
I couldn't wait to taste it (also because the Cantina Bowl wasn't that filling), so I ate one in the car. Crunchy sweet delishness!
Taco Bell
$
**** (4/5)
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